This month, the Town of Apex, North Carolina, together with local partners from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and VHB, celebrated the groundbreaking for the Apex Peakway Southwest Connector. This multimodal project will boost connectivity, mobility, and safety by providing a direct connection between northern and southern areas of Town at the intersection of Apex Peakway and South Salem Street. VHB has been closely involved with this multi-phase project since its inception, including feasibility studies and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis that moved the project forward to preliminary designs.
Apex Peakway is the Town’s main loop road, serving as a key route for those traveling between neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and the historic downtown area. The Town has experienced limited mobility options on the Connector due to cut off access across the existing CSX rail line. To address these challenges, the Town is now constructing a four-lane bridge crossing that will alleviate congestion and safely accommodate drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The new interchange and overpass is an important piece of the Town’s Capital Improvement Plan that will maximize mobility. VHB also worked with the Town to prepare an aesthetic plan for its historic downtown that aligns with the Connector’s goals of prioritizing pedestrian safety, multimodal accessibility, and community health.
“With the project site adjacent to so many neighborhoods, businesses, a public school, and a railroad, stakeholder engagement was crucial to the success of this project,” said Tim Goins, PE, VHB Project Manager. “VHB built on the strong relationships we have with the Town of Apex, NCDOT, CSX Railroad, and Colonial Pipeline, to lead a robust and collaborative engagement between those parties and the neighborhoods surrounding the project.”
To simplify construction and minimize impacts to traffic, the adjacent neighborhoods, and railroad, the VHB team developed a functional, context-sensitive design and bridge span arrangement for efficiency. A cantilever sidewalk elevated along the side of the bridge was designed to safely accommodate pedestrians crossing the bridge while minimizing right of way impacts to properties adjacent to the Peakway.
VHB’s integrated teams worked closely to optimize the transition of project information from phase to phase so that the built project would be delivered on-time and on-budget. By approaching the project with a holistic and integrated mindset, we prioritized community health, equity, connectivity, and the diverse needs of each stakeholder.
For more information on this project and VHB North Carolina, contact Tim Goins.
